


Space Heroes

by fireworksinthenight



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Family, Fluff, Gen, Humor, space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-07-23 06:22:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20003740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireworksinthenight/pseuds/fireworksinthenight
Summary: Raph and Leo go exploring. Things don't turn out as expected… but at least they have each other, right? 2012 turtles, space arc.





	1. Follow the Leader

**Author's Note:**

> _Because, as a recent discussion prompted it, there is never enough fluff between Raph and Leo. Warning: more than a little crazy. I hope you all enjoy!_

Raph probed the edges of the hole, his eyes narrowed because of the blinding light of the two suns. It was a good thing that the Fugitoid had provided them with the best equipment at his disposal, or they would have burned. The planet's atmosphere had enough oxygen so they could breathe it, but the air was so hot that they preferred to keep their space helmets.

Raph stood up from his kneeling position and turned towards Leo, who was watching him with his arms crossed. They had found the hole by exploring their surroundings. As far as Raph could tell from the outside, it led to a small cave.

"It seems solid enough. I say we go down and see what's inside."

Leo made a face. "I don't know, Raph. I'm not sure it would be cautious."

Raph threw his arms up. "Come on, Leo! This whole planet is a rocky desert. No vegetation in sight. Barely any shade. Don't you want to explore this cave? It's bound to be cooler."

"I don't want to wander too far away from the ship." Leo waved at the spaceship in the distance. It was in need of repairs, and both the Fugitoid and Donnie had set about doing just that. Casey was lending them a hand - he had a gift for mechanics - while Mikey was busy helping April with her telepathic abilities. Raph and Leo, however, had decided to go for a walk.

"What if they finish the repairs while we're gone?"

Raph shrugged. "Then they'll wait for us. Besides, you've heard the Fugitoid just like me. It's going to take some time. And we have our transmitters to call them if needed. Seriously, Leo, what's the worst that could happen?"

Leo winced. "Can you not tempt the universe like that? I can picture all kind of things going wrong just by looking at that hole."

"You're worrying too much. I'll go first, if you're so afraid," Raph teased. He checked the hole's edges one last time before jumping inside it. The ground wasn't even seven feet below - in other words, almost nothing for him. He immediately felt the colder atmosphere, and smirked. "It's perfect in here. I think I'll just explore for a while. See you later, Leo!"

He wasn't surprised at all when Leo jumped down after him, muttering words their father certainly wouldn't have approved of. For a brief moment, Raph felt sad that Splinter wasn't there with them - but they were going to save him. They had to. Shrugging off the feeling, he turned to Leo. "You see? It wasn't so hard." He pointed at the shadows in front of them. "And it's going deeper. What do you say we have a look at it?"

"I say that I'm not sure my advice matters at all to you," Leo grumbled.

Raph could tell that he was intrigued, though. He smiled discreetly. His brother loved exploring unknown places.

Indeed, Leo didn't hesitate for long. He probed the walls and ceiling to make sure it wasn't going to collapse, then turned on his flashlight. "Alright. Let's have a quick look at it." Taking the lead, he went forward.

Raph grinned. "As you wish." Switching on his own flashlight, he followed his brother.

* * *

The cave went way deeper than they had expected. At the beginning, it had been rather large - but it was becoming narrower and narrower, and the turtles had to almost double over to keep going. They had long lost sight of the hole and the light going through it, and were relying on their flashlights to see.

Neither the Fugitoid's equipment nor April's sharp senses had detected any living being on this planet, so they weren't worried to make a bad encounter. They were, however, very intrigued by the sound they were hearing - an unexpected sound on such an arid planet.

Water.

"I wonder if we could drink it," Leo mused.

"I wouldn't try it if I were you." Raph smirked. "Remember last time Casey and Mikey did that?"

Leo sighed. "They were sick for six days."

"Yep. It wasn't a pretty sight."

As Casey's best friend, Raph had volunteered to take care of him. In all honesty, April had volunteered too, and Raph had been tempted to let her - but one look at Donnie's miserable face had prompted him to decline. Leo had kept watch on Mikey, patiently bearing his nonsense talks whenever his fever went too high and trying to convince him that no pizza was attacking him.

It had been six very long days.

"I didn't mean we should try it. Besides, we have these pills the Fugitoid gave us to make water drinkable, if need be."

The tunnel was becoming larger, and they were soon able to straighten up.

"Listen," Leo whispered. "I think we're entering an even larger cave than the first one."

Raph directed his flashlight towards the ceiling, which was quickly disappearing. The air was even cooler there, and the sound of water flowing was overwhelming. In front of him, Leo was kneeling down, a frown on his face.

"Leo, what's the matter?"

"Look at the ground. It's too levelled to be natural. I think people carved it."

"You mean that this planet was once inhabited?" Raph shook his head. "Who would want to live in there?"

"Maybe it wasn't always so arid." Leo stood up and began exploring, careful to stay within sight of the tunnel they had arrived by. The cave was huge.

Raph made a point to go further than Leo - making sure, it went without saying, to keep _him_ within sight.

"Raph, wait!" Leo called, frustrated. "We should leave marks so we can find our way back."

"Sure, Leo, do that." Raph smirked as he wandered further and further from his brother. "It sounds like a great idea and… what the shell?"

Leo was at his side in two seconds. "What is it, what did you… Wow."

There were at the edge of a small cliff. A large underground river was flowing below. They couldn't see its other bank, but they could discern a small island in the distance. A carved statue of some kind had been erected on it.

"So there _has_ been people on this planet," Leo whispered.

"Which is a little creepy, considering we know for sure there aren't anymore. I say we've seen enough for today. Loved the beautiful sight, time to go back to the ship!" Raph turned around, ready to depart.

Leo put his hands on his hips. "And in which direction is the entrance, hmm?"

Raph coughed, his expression sheepish. "I don't know, but I'm sure you do! Go ahead!"

Leo rolled his eyes. "As a matter of fact, I do. You see, I _have_ taken the time to leave marks on the floor to make sure that…"

"Which is why I didn't need to do it." Raph rolled his own eyes.

"You're insufferable."

"And I'm proud of it. So, which way?"

"This way."

Raph nodded and began walking in the direction his brother had indicated.

He hadn't even walked ten feet when he heard rocks crumbling behind him. He turned around, his heart sinking, and was just quick enough to see Leo disappear in the river below.

* * *

The water was ice cold, and his equipment was heavy. Leo could hold his breath longer than humans, though, and he managed to adjust the settings of his spacesuit so it would believe that the gravity was more important on the planet than it was - its overcompensation had the nice side effect to make Leo float. Unfortunately, he had lost his flashlight in the fall, and he had to rely on what was lighted by Raph's flashlight, who happened to be at a quickly growing distance from himself.

"Leo!" Raph shouted.

"I'm okay!" Leo replied. He tried to swim against the flow for a while, but it was really strong and he quickly decided that it wasn't worth it. It was leading him towards the island, where he could set foot and think about a solution. Both he and Raph had ropes, and if they managed to tie them together, they would certainly be long enough…

He landed brutally on the island and let out a cry of pain.

" _Leo!_ " Raph sounded frantic.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Leo waved at his brother. Although he couldn't hear it from the distance, he could have sworn that Raph was sighing in deep relief.

He was at the limit of the range of Raph's flashlight, and he could only vaguely discern the edges of the statue they had seen earlier. He was unable to recognize the shape - something like a giant ant with wings. He probed it with curiosity. He was certain that Donnie would have given everything to be in his place right now.

To his utter dismay, the statue began glowing.

"Uh-oh."

"Leo, what's that?"

Leo considered for the briefest of seconds shouting back something like _And how am I supposed to know!_ but he thought better of it. Instead, he decided that going back into the water and fighting the current was a good option after all.

Unfortunately, he couldn't go back into the water. He was dragged towards the light. It was warm and welcoming, and he didn't mind anymore…

"Leonardo!"

Leo snapped out of his trance. "Your rope!" he shouted, and Raph immediately understood. He took his own rope and tied it around his waist, before throwing it in Raph's direction with his grappling hook at its extremity - hoping that his brother would do the same, and that the hooks would meet, and -

The light behind him became so bright that he had to close his eyes. He felt the rope pull at him, proving that they had been successful and Raph got him, and -

And then he felt nothing.

Raph's shout resonated through the entire cave.

"No!"

* * *

Raph had seen his brother disappear in the light right before he had to close his eyes too. He was sure that he had managed to catch Leo's grappling hook with his own, and he didn't lose time in jumping backwards so the ropes would stay taut - or the grappling hooks wouldn't hold. He cursed their luck - why had he wanted to explore this cave already? and the extinct aliens - who trapped their caves like that, uh? as much as the Fugitoid's ship that had landed here, all at once. He began to pull the rope to him as fast as he could. The bright light had disappeared.

"Leo!" he kept shouting, but his brother wasn't answering. Raph began to panic. He must have dragged him into the water, what if he was unconscious and couldn't hold his breath? What had he been thinking? Oh right, he had been thinking that he wanted his brother safe and sound at his side. But what if he drowned him instead?

Cursing again, he kept pulling. How long was it? 300 feet at least, considering the lengths of their ropes… And he had put his flashlight on the ground to use both his hands, and it was happily lighting into the void, and he couldn't see where Leo was…

It felt like hours to him, but he finally saw the grappling hooks in front of him, which meant that he had done half the job. He quickly let go of his rope to grab Leo's, and pulled again.

And still, Leo wasn't answering.

Raph was trying hard not to imagine the worst, and he felt like bursting into relieved sobs when he finally distinguished a shape in the river below. Leo's equipment was floating for some reason, so there was a very fair chance that his brother hadn't drowned…

He kept it together through sheer stubbornness and hurried to pull the rope on the last feet, lifting Leo from the river's surface. He didn't dare to come too close in case the ground would collapse some more…

Leo was lighter than he remembered. He didn't dwell on this thought, eager to finally bring back his brother to safety… _Please, let him be alright… Please…_

Leo groaned as Raph pulled him on the shore, and Raph fell on his knees. He was alive. He was alive… With clumsy gestures, he grabbed his torchlight to light his brother more efficiently and make sure he was safe…

And he recoiled in utter surprise. His brother was breathing regularly, and he didn't seem injured - apart from the inevitable bruises and cuts, that was - but there was still a problem.

A tiny, tiny problem.

"What the shell?"

* * *

Leo felt dizzy. He remembered the cave, the river, the island and the light… And then… He moaned and tried to open his eyes.

Raph's face was in his field of vision, only inches from his own face.

"Ha!" he exclaimed, closing his eyes again. His voice sounded too high-pitched to his own ears. He hoped that he hadn't caught a cold.

He certainly didn't feel warm, and he was soaked, no thanks to his little trip in the river. At least his brother was here. It meant that their ropes' trick had worked, right?

He flexed his fingers and feet, as much as his arms and legs - nothing broken, that was good - before carefully opening his eyes again. Raph's face had retreated to a safer distance, and his brother was looking at him with sheepish eyes.

As soon as he realized that Leo was looking at him, Raph straightened up and took a relaxed expression.

"Don't be afraid," he said very slowly, very soothingly, a trembling smile on his lips. "Everything is alright, Leo, I'm with you."

Leo gaped. Why was his brother talking to him like that?

"What's the matter, Raph? What was that light?" He took in his immediate surroundings, and realized that his equipment was lying on the ground. Why hadn't Raph let him keep it? "You sound like you're talking to a child."

Raph's expression immediately shifted to one of utter relief.

"Oh, you're still you! That's wonderful!" He noticed Leo's puzzled expression and coughed. "And, uh. Sorry to bring that up, but you're a child."

Leo immediately looked at his own body, and realized with horror that his brother was right. Small arms, small legs, small shell. He was, indeed, a child. Probably around 8 years old.

"No way," he whispered.

"My thoughts exactly." Raph sighed deeply before looking at his brother in expectation. "What do we do now, Leo?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yep. I did that. Oooh, this is going to be so fun! At least to me. Maybe a little less to Raph and Leo… *cough*_


	2. A Little Help Here?

Leo breathed deeply, absent-mindedly playing with his bandana, now way too big for him. He tried to figure out just how critical the situation was. Positive points: Raph was fine, he was fine, they still had one flashlight.

Negative point: he was a child.

Only one negative point so far, that was good. No reason to panic.

"Leo?"

Leo forced himself to look up at his brother - although they were both sitting, Raph was now taller than him - and smiled.

"We fix this, of course."

Raph tilted his head. "And how exactly are we going to do that?"

It was a very good question, and Leo took the time to think about his answer. He had no idea what had happened, but he remembered touching the statue and engaging some sort of process. The statue was the key.

"I'll go back to the island and see what I can discover," he finally answered, tightening his bandana around his forearm. Soon, he would wear it again. "You'll stay there and hold me back with the ropes."

Raph looked at him with a deadpan expression. He crossed his arms and hardened his features, and Leo knew what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth.

"No."

Leo straightened up and glared at him. "I don't intend to stay…" He waved at his body. "…like that… any longer than I have to. I'm going back to this island!"

Something shifted in Raph's eyes - something that wasn't irritation or stubbornness, but resembled more the way he used to look at his turtle pet when he thought nobody was watching him. Leo carefully refused to think about it.

"No way, Leo, you almost drowned!" Raph shook his head. "I'll do it myself."

Leo crossed his arms, mirroring Raph's posture. "It's not going to work."

"And why not?"

"Because…" Leo stopped, embarrassed. He was suddenly grateful for the dim light, because he was certain that he was blushing. "There is nothing to tie the ropes to, and I won't be able to hold you back."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Raph smirked. "Are you implying that I am too heavy?"

Leo took a deep breath. "No. Just that I won't be able to hold you back." Why did Raph have to make it so difficult? Or better, why was he so embarrassed?

"So you're implying that you're not strong enough."

Raph's words were twisting the knife a little more. Leo decided that he would better give his brother what he wanted.

"I'm a child," he muttered. "Of course I'm not strong enough."

Raph grinned. "Can you repeat that? I want to record it."

Leo massaged his temples in a very un-childlike way and decided to ignore that last comment. "So, I must be the one to go back."

Raph's smile disappeared immediately. "No. Find another way."

"It's the only way."

Leo stood up and fastened one rope around his shell. He rummaged through his equipment to see if he could find something useful, but it didn't fit him anymore. He was floating inside, and he decided that it would rather hinder him than help him. Unless he used it as a raft? Maybe that was how he had managed not to drawn on his way back from the island. He could tie the parts together with some of the rope…

Behind him, Raph grabbed said rope. Leo rejoiced that his brother had decided to be cooperative, but he was holding it a bit too tightly for his freedom of movement.

"I need some slack," he pointed out.

"That's too bad."

Leo tried to force his way towards the river, but his childish muscles were no match for his brother's finely tuned teenage strength. He missed his own more than ever. "Raph…"

"Like I said, find another way."

Leo glanced above his shoulder to look at him. Raph had decided to lie down on the ground, leaning on one elbow while nonchalantly restraining Leo with the rope. Apparently, he only needed one arm to do that, and said arm wasn't even out straight - a sure sign that Raph wasn't making a great effort.

Leo sat down. Somehow, he felt the intense need to pout. He tried his best to ignore it. "Or we could go back to the others, and ask for their help," he said, resigned. They were going to lose time doing so, and he didn't want that.

Not to mention that they were bound to laugh at him - badly.

Raph nodded, satisfied. "Much better."

With a glare that brought again that strange expression on Raph's face, Leo untied the knot he had done with the rope to free himself, gathered his equipment and made for the entrance of the cave.

* * *

Raph followed Leo, biting his lip hard to avoid grinning. He had never thought that he would want to apply such an adjective to his brother someday, but - yes. He was cute. Majorly cute. With his little high-pitched voice and his pouting face… To the point something in Raph wanted to pick him up and hug him. Not that he would ever admit it, even to himself.

He had his dignity.

Leo spun on his heels to look at him, eyes narrowed, and Raph quickly averted his eyes. Good thing that Leo wasn't a mind reader. He kept following his brother, keeping his mouth carefully shut. He was carrying most of Leo's equipment. Leo had wanted to carry it himself, of course - but when Raph had seen the pile it made in his arms, he had pointed out that Leo would better focus on finding his way back, and that he wouldn't be able to look at whatever marks he had left on the ground like that. Leo had grumbled and glared, and gratefully allowed his brother to take it.

When they arrived at the entrance of the cave, however, Raph immediately knew that they weren't going to go back that way. It had completely collapsed, probably at the same time the river bank had.

"Okay, that might be a problem," Leo conceded, his calm voice contrasting sharply with his appearance. "Let's call the others, then." He looked at Raph sheepishly. "Maybe it would be better if you made the call. You know, so they don't freak out when they hear my voice…"

Raph nodded and took his transmitter. There was no signal. "It doesn't work."

"We must be too deep under the surface," Leo thought aloud.

Raph sighed. "Perfect. Just what we needed."

They were now stuck underground, unless they found another entrance. It wouldn't have bothered him so much if he wasn't so utterly conscious of how vulnerable his brother was in his current state.

Said brother was watching him with a smug expression, and Raph narrowed his eyes.

"Then we have no other choice than to come back to the island," Leo said, confirming Raph's fears.

"I would tell you what I think of that plan, but there are children here," he retorted wryly. "And I'm a responsible turtle." At that moment, he certainly felt like the most reasonable of the two.

Leo sighed. "Well, we're not going back the way we came, so I guess you can come with me."

"How very generous of you." Raph considered the river. Maybe he would be able to swim back. He would have to carry Leo, of course. Unless the current was too strong. In that case, they could always follow the river… It was bound to go somewhere, right? But Donnie and the Fugitoid had said there was nothing on the surface of this planet. He made his decision. "Alright. I'll swim to the island. You can stay on my shell," he offered, avoiding to look at Leo who was probably going to get offended.

"I can still swim, you know." Leo huffed. "Anyways, I have a better idea."

Raph watched him with curiosity.

* * *

Leo felt rather proud of himself. The small raft they had managed to make with his equipment was bringing them towards the island. Soon, they were landing on it. Leo took a deep breath as he came closer to the statue.

"Whatever else you do, do not touch it," he instructed.

Raph looked down at him, an eye ridge raised. "You don't say."

Leo looked up and shrugged sheepishly. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

He extended his hand to ask for Raph's flashlight, and his brother reluctantly gave it to him. Now that he could light the statue, he noticed that there was something written on it. They were equipped with universal translators, courtesy of the Fugitoid, and Leo lost no time in taking pictures of the words so they could be analyzed.

"What does it say?" Raph enquired, leaning forward to have a look at the screen.

Leo coughed. "Uh… It says " _Wire the raw inside._ "

"I don't think that's the correct translation," Raph pointed out.

Leo gave him a deadpan look before focusing back on his translator. Donnie had told him once that translators didn't always work well, and it was a good idea to check the meaning of each word to be sure of what was being said. Doing that, he quickly found another sentence.

"I think it says ' _Reconnect to your inner child.'_ "

Raph shook his head. "These aliens have either a weird sense of humor, or a very literal conception of life."

Leo shrugged and turned around the statue to see if he could find another inscription. Nothing. He bit his lip. That couldn't be everything there was, right? There had to be a supreme goal behind all of this. An explanation for his state. Or maybe it went both ways? Leo was now behind the statue, hidden from Raph's view. He quickly poked it, half-hoping to trigger it once more…

"Uh, Leo?"

Leo jumped. Had Raph seen him? He coughed, trying to sound as innocent as possible. "Yes, Raph?" He watched his body as he spoke, but nothing had happened. He was still a child, and would have to find another way to become his good old self again.

"I think the island is moving."

* * *

Raph was sitting down next to Leo. His brother was playing with the flashlight, lighting their rapidly shifting surroundings.

The island was indeed moving, and it was moving fast, carrying them deeper and deeper through the caves. Its displacement was steady and didn't obey the current at all.

"It's almost as if it's on rails," he mused.

"As long as we're going somewhere." Leo tapped his knees. "This network of caves is huge."

Raph turned to look at him. Once again, he was struck by the urge to protect the cute turtle child in front of him. He really hoped it didn't show on his face.

"Raph?" Leo sounded wary, and Raph quickly searched for a way to distract his attention.

"Hey, Leo, what do you think this is?" He waved to indicate the island, the statue and the caves. "Who made that, and why?"

Leo gave him one last suspicious look - his cheeks became even chubbier when he did, and Raph quickly looked back at the river in front of them - before answering.

"I don't know. Maybe it was supposed to be some kind of pilgrimage? A spiritual experience? A fountain of youth?"

Raph snorted. "That's our luck. Of all the alien ruins we could have found, we stumbled upon spiritual alien ruins."

Leo shrugged. "That's just a guess. Besides, going underground was your idea."

Raph stiffened. So Leo was going to be like that, uh? Well, he could play that game too. "At least I didn't fall into the water!"

"I slipped! It was collapsing!"

Raph made the mistake to glance at Leo, and saw his little frown as his fists clenched. He tried hard not to laugh at the sight - somehow, he had a feeling that Leo wouldn't take it well.

The island stopped at that instant, offering him some respite. They had reached a platform curved in stone, which led to another tunnel. Leo stood up, already jumping on the shore, and Raph hurried after him.

* * *

Leo was walking ahead, Raph close behind him. The tunnel was becoming higher and narrower. He wondered what kind of beings had come there. Had they looked like the statue? If so, they had wings, and it would make sense that they could fly.

The ground and walls were damp, which wasn't a surprise considering there was a river close by. Leo was taking careful steps to avoid slipping. The last thing he wanted was to lose his footing in front of Raph. He had already caught him several times looking at him with the deepest amusement, and it didn't make his mood any better. _How am I going to get out of this?_ he thought moodily.

They hadn't walked for very long when the tunnel stopped. Or more exactly, it went on - sixteen feet above. It was like a step in a giant staircase, and a very slippery one at that. Leo quickly checked that there was no way they would be able to climb. Unless… he turned around. Maybe the tunnel was narrow enough so they could use the walls to go up, shell against one wall while their feet would push the opposite one.

There was only one problem. If Raph was going to manage it easily, there was a very real possibility that Leo would be a little too… little. Of course, he could have asked his brother for help, but he didn't want to look too helpless. He was still Leonardo, and he was still the leader! He had to do justice to the title.

He took another look at the walls. Maybe if he stretched out completely…

Only one way to know. He quickly lay down on the ground - it was the only way he could put himself in the right position - and extended his arms and legs. It was close, but he could brush the two opposite walls.

"Uh, Leo? What are you doing?"

Did Raph sound amused?

"I'm climbing," Leo muttered.

"I wouldn't have guessed."

Yes. He definitely sounded amused.

Leo spared his brother one long glare before extending his fingers and toes. He managed to get a good enough balance to begin his way up, inch by inch.

Above his head - it was a slow process and he was still very close to the ground - he heard Raph stifle a chuckle.

"A little help maybe?"

"I can… do this…" he panted, forcing his hands and feet higher.

"No you can't." Raph didn't even sound that teasing, he was just stating a fact. "You're too short, Leo."

Leo didn't answer, focusing on his task. Were the walls further apart than they had been at ground level? It sure seemed harder and harder. And slippery… Really slippery…

Leo's hands lost contact with the wall and he landed on his plastron.

"Ouch."

Turning over, he made eye contact with Raph - his brother was biting his lip so hard, Leo wasn't sure whether he was more infuriated because Raph was finding the situation hilarious or because he was _still_ mindful enough of his feelings to try not to burst into laughter.

"Not. A. Word," he said.

Raph shook his head, indicating he wasn't going to comment. His breathing was suspiciously irregular.

With a deep sigh, Leo stood up and took a closer look at the walls. Yes, there was a slight slope. He wasn't going to do this on his own. Biting his lip, he turned towards his brother.

"Please, Raph. Would you help me?"

Raph raised a hand to indicate that he needed a pause. He put the flashlight on the ground and mouthed ' _I'll be back.'_ Then he ran away, and soon after Leo heard the distant echo of an unmistakable laughter. He hid his face in his hands. He really had made a fool of himself, hadn't he? He should have known better, but it was as if his emotions - and his pride - had gone in the way of reason and wisdom. Was his childish state influencing him more than he had thought?

Raph came back one minute later, wiping his eyes. "Of course, Leo! Helping you is my pleasure."

With a burning face, Leo grabbed the upper edge of Raph's plastron and allowed him to carry both of them to the upper part of the tunnel.

* * *

Raph couldn't stop grinning. Leo's face when he had given in had been priceless. He had done his best to avoid outright laughing at him, but in the end, it had been too much. He merely hoped that Leo hadn't heard him. He didn't want his brother to believe that he thought less of him because he was a child… A cute, helpless little child…

Leo was walking ahead with their only flashlight, shoulders slumped, and Raph was half-tempted to pat his head and tell him it was okay. But he feared that his brother would interpret it as a patronizing gesture and not as an expression of his support, and decided against it.

The ground wasn't so damp in this area. They must have left the river behind. Something crackled under his feet, and Raph frowned before realizing that he was sinking.

"Raph!"

Raph gritted his teeth, trying to grab something, anything, to stop his fall. He managed to find a slight edge and clung to it for dear life.

"Raph, are you okay?"

Far above, he could see Leo's outline leaning towards him. He felt grateful that his brother hadn't been the one to fall - probably because he was way lighter than him. The ground must have been weakened over the decades. Leo lighted the area, and Raph was able to see that there were no grips above him. The wall was perfectly flat. Had it been carved, too?

"Never been brighter," he gritted out.

He couldn't go up. He was out of Leo's reach, not that it mattered anyway - Leo would never manage to lift him to safety. Below him… well, he couldn't see the bottom, which was never a good sign.

"Okay, don't move," Leo instructed.

"I didn't intend to, Leo," he answered wryly.

As the flashlight shifted, he noticed his brother's upset face, and immediately regretted his tone.

"It's going to be okay, Leo," he told him, and told him again, as he clung to the cliff.

As if repeating the words could give them more truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _It occurred to me recently that I had never ended a chapter with a literal cliffhanger. This is now fixed. I hope you don't mind... *grins*_


	3. We Shall Not Talk about This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I didn’t want to leave Raph hanging on to his cliff for too long, so here it is. The last chapter of this crazy adventure!_

Leo tried to keep a cool head as he listened to his brother's half-convinced reassurances. He knew he couldn't afford to panic, but the child in him wanted to very, very much.

He forced himself to assess the situation and used his flashlight to check the cliff once more. Nope, no grips had miraculously appeared. Raph wasn't going to be able to climb back to him. Then he looked at his surroundings. The ground hadn't entirely collapsed, and there was still a narrow edge near the wall. Some of his equipment, that Raph had been carrying, had fallen in the depths - including, alas, the ropes - but the rest had landed on that edge.

It was really, really narrow…

But he was also shorter, and lighter, right?

"Hold on, Raph! I'll be right back!"

Grabbing the flashlight with his teeth so he could light his way while using both his hands, he hurried to the edge and placed a careful foot on it.

It held.

He put his second foot on it, and began slowly advancing towards his goal, pressed against the wall as much as he could.

"Leo? Leo, what are you doing?"

Leo didn't answer - not that he could have with the flashlight in his mouth. What was he supposed to say anyways? 'Oh, I'm risking my life looking for something that might or might not help me to save you?'

"Leo, I really hope you're not going to try something stupid!" Raph threatened, although the panic was clear in his voice. "I'll find a way to get out of there myself!"

Leo almost snorted. He still had a few steps to take… Almost… Almost…

Yes! This was the part of his equipment that he used to wear around his arms. Which meant he had knives inside. Sharp, made of he-didn't-know-which-material-but-oh-boy-did-they-cut-through-everything knives, and with some luck, he could use them as pitons.

It occurred to him that he could have done that earlier instead of making a fool of himself, and sighed.

But he still had to grab them.

"Leo? Leo, if you don't tell me what you're up to, I'll tell Donnie and Mikey what happened, and they will never leave it down!"

Raph sounded desperate. Leo could only imagine how terrifying it must be to cling to that cliff and to be unable to see anything of what was happening above… He had to focus if he didn't want to lose his balance, though, and he couldn't answer.

"I'll take pictures!" Raph added. "You'll see!"

Leo felt horrified at the thought. He leaned sideways, his hand close to the piece of equipment he needed…

"And I'll let Mikey hug you to death!"

Leo's hand made contact with metal. He slid it to the side, until he could push the button he was looking for…

"Leo, I swear…"

A knife landed in Leo's hand. He drove it into the wall, grabbing the hilt to improve his stance. Now able to retrieve the flashlight with his other hand without losing his balance, he quickly answered his brother.

"I'm coming, Raph, don't worry!"

Then he put the flashlight in his mouth again and retrieved the second knife.

"You're coming? What do you mean, you're coming? Stay right where you are!" Raph was managing to sound both furious and panicked, and it pulled on Leo's heartstrings. He lost no time in driving the second knife into the wall, lower - and then he pulled the first out, allowed his body to slide until he was hanging on to the second knife, and drove the first in the wall again.

Slowly, he made his way towards his brother, who was soon able to see him as a little patch of light on the cliff.

And who apparently didn't like the sight.

"Leo!"

* * *

Raph couldn't believe his eyes. At first, he had thought that Leo had fallen too, but from his slow movements, it looked like he had found some grips to hold to.

Way to almost give him a heart attack.

Raph took deep breathes. His fingers were beginning to ache. He would soon be unable to hold on. Trying not to think about it, he watched as Leo kept climbing down.

"Leo, what is this crazy plan of yours? I appreciate your concern, but I don't think it's going to work. You can't go anywhere near me, there are no grips at all!"

Leo still wasn't answering, and Raph huffed.

"That's right, don't talk to me. Who needs proper communication anyways?"

Leo's head moved, and the light followed him. Raph realized that he had the flashlight in his mouth.

Oh. That was why he wasn't answering.

A few minutes later, Raph was able to see what Leo had in his hands - knives. _Good thinking, Leo,_ he thought in spite of himself. But his brother's arms were beginning to tremble, and Raph feared that he wasn't going to have the strength to keep going. His own arms were beginning to tremble too - his grip on the edge was looser and looser…

Leo somehow managed to come next to him, and put a knife right above him. Raph wanted to grab it, but found himself unable to lift an arm.

"I can't move," he gritted out.

He didn't miss the flash of concern in Leo's eyes. If Raph couldn't use his arms, how was he going to climb up, even with the help of the knives?

Raph closed his eyes. No… They were so close… So close… Gathering his remaining strength, he tried to launch himself forward - and failed.

He felt himself lose his balance and fell into the void. He had the time to think that he would never have the opportunity to tell his brother how cute he was in his current state, and why hadn't he dared to hug him after all?

Then his fall was abruptly stopped. Opening his eyes, he realized that Leo had used his bandana to grab his left wrist. The other end of the blue cloth was tied to the hilt of one knife.

Leo looked exhausted, but he still managed to wedge the flashlight between the wall and his shell to talk to him.

"Raph! Are you okay?"

After the shock had passed, Raph nodded. "Sure, Leo. Nothing to worry about. I'm even almost certain that my shoulder isn't dislocated."

Leo let out a strangled laugh. "That's good news."

Raph swallowed hard. He was hanging down with one arm, meaning that the other could rest. After some time, he felt strong enough to grab the second knife, and allowed his second arm to rest. Then he began to climb upwards, one knife after the other, while Leo clung to his shell.

They both collapsed on the ground as soon as they reached it, and kept breathing hard. Then Raph rolled over to punch Leo in the shoulder - lightly, he didn't want to hurt him.

"Hey!"

"Saved by an eight-year-old kid," Raph muttered. "The shame of it."

Leo grinned as he massaged his shoulder. "Are you complaining?"

Raph looked at him, Leo looked at Raph, and soon they were both bursting into relieved, we've-almost-just-died laughter.

When they had calmed down, stood up and dusted themselves, Leo pointed at the next part of the tunnel.

"It seems steadier after that part, but I suggest you test the ground."

"You don't need to tell me twice," Raph answered.

Still amazed to be alive, the two of them got moving.

* * *

At first, Leo thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him. He was beginning to get really tired, both from the long walk and from rescuing his brother. Thinking about that still made him shiver - it had been a close one.

But as they kept going, he realized that he wasn't mistaken.

There was light.

Hope swelled in Leo's heart, until he realized that they weren't leaving the caves. The light came through a hole in the ceiling, way above their heads. It stayed dim, but it still felt good to see it.

Beside him, Raph sighed. "I can't wait to be outside again."

Leo smirked. "And I thought that you liked the shade."

"I changed my mind. Being burned by the sun isn't such a terrible fate after all."

"We better keep going, then. I wonder how long we still have to walk."

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not Donnie, I have no idea."

Leo chuckled. It was true that Donnie, their genius brother, would probably have found a way to estimate the distance they had walked, as much as the probability for an exit. If only they could ask him…

Then he realized that maybe they could. With the hole, the waves that allowed the transmitter to work could go out instead of staying trapped into the stone.

"Raph!" he shouted, making his brother jump. "We can call them!" He turned around, beaming. "Do it! Maybe they'll know where we are!"

He caught the look his brother was sending his way - it was fond, there was no other word - and realized that it was the first time Raph saw him in a better light than the flashlight's. Clearing his throat, he quickly retreated to the shadows.

"But don't tell them about…my situation… for now! They don't need to know!"

Raph, who had already grabbed his transmitter, stopped his move. "And why not?"

"It's…" Leo blushed. _Embarrassing._ "Unnecessary. I don't want to worry them!"

"Sure, Leo," Raph said slowly. "That's because you don't want to worry them."

"Just make the call," Leo muttered.

With an amused chuckle, Raph turned his transmitter on. And swore. "Eighteen missed calls? Leo, I think they're already worrying."

"Then let's not lose any more time."

Shrugging, Raph contacted their siblings. Donnie immediately answered.

"Guys! Are you alright? We've been trying to reach you for the last thirty-two minutes!"

' _Are we alright?'_ Raph mouthed to Leo, who nodded vigorously.

"Yes, we're alright, Donnie," Raph answered. "We went exploring and got lost, but everything is fine here."

Leo heard Mikey whispering in the background. "I told you they would totally go explore these caves!"

"Do you know them?" Raph said with hope.

"Yes," Donnie answered. "We're done with the repairs and as we couldn't find you," the reproach in his voice made Leo wince, "and got a little worried, especially as your transmitters weren't working," Leo retreated his head in his shell a little, "I looked for more information about this planet in the ship's database and we found out that it's renowned for his underground system. It used to be a theme park, if you can believe it. I'm not entirely sure what it was about - something about younglings. Maybe it was built for children? It would make sense, for a theme park."

Leo could picture Donnie's pensive face as his brother thought aloud, and he smiled fondly. If Donnie knew how close he was to the truth…

"You're very close, Donnie," Raph said.

Leo jumped and pointed a warning finger at him. Raph hid the transmitter's micro with his hand to wink at him. "I'm just kidding you, Leo," he said, insisting on the "kid" syllable. Leo made the 'turtle soup' sign that Raph had himself invented, and his brother chuckled.

"I've located you," Donnie said. "Wow. You're deep underground. And further away from the ship than I would have thought." He whistled. "I'm not surprised that you would be that careless, Raph, but Leo really should have known better. Where is he, by the way?"

"Uh…" Raph glanced at Leo. "He's close by."

Leo nodded absent-mindedly. It was a theme park? Then there was hope for him! If this whole thing was an attraction - as mind-blowing as it seemed - then it was bound to be reversed at the end. Right?

"Why can't I locate him?" Donnie said, more to himself than to Raph. "His transmitter is dead."

Raph coughed. "Well, it's possible that we lost it somewhere."

The silence at the other end of the line was highly suspicious. "Raph, are you sure everything is fine?"

"Yes, of course!" Raph cleared his throat.

Next to him, Leo was nibbling at his fingers out of nervousness. In Donnie's place, he wouldn't have fallen for it.

And Donnie didn't seem to. "I want to talk to Leo."

Leo waved frantically that he didn't want to talk to Donnie. Not with his child's voice. Raph glared at him.

"Uh… He's busy right now, but he's fine, I promise! This excursion is doing wonders for him. He feels younger than ever!"

"Raph, if you're lying to me…" Donnie threatened.

"That's the exact truth, Donnie," Raph answered, ignoring Leo's glare.

Donnie hummed, but he apparently decided to believe Raph. "Okay, we'll come fetch you. Don't move!"

Leo's eyes widened. Now that wasn't what he had expected. He didn't want the rest of his family to find him in this state! It was bad enough that Raph knew! But on the other end, this made the most sense - they could be rescued through the hole.

He heard a sudden explosion through the speaker, and jumped forward, forgetting in his worry that he wasn't supposed to talk.

"Donnie? Donnie, what's happening?"

"We're fine, we're fine." Donnie was talking too loud, and he didn't seem to have registered the fact that it hadn't been Raph speaking. He must have been partially deafened by the explosion. "Casey just found out that the ship isn't as repaired as we thought it would be." There was a pause, and Leo could have sworn that he heard the sound of a head being smacked. "We won't be able to come to you before a few hours." Another pause, and a heavy sigh. "Four at last, I would say."

Leo thought fast. Four hours would give them the time to explore these ruins a little more. And maybe to find the solution to his current problem. With a decided nod, he mouthed his instructions to Raph. Raph shook his head, and Leo made the best pleading face he could. He was relieved when Raph relented.

"Alright. We'll keep exploring a bit, and meet you back there in four hours," Raph repeated. "If we can find another exit, we'll call you again. Don't worry, we'll be careful."

Donnie cleared his throat. "Are you sure Leo isn't with you? Because it certainly sounds like something he would say."

"See you later, Donnie, and good luck with the repairs!" Raph said hurriedly before hanging up.

He immediately turned to Leo. "You owe me a big one. You're lucky you look so …" He cut himself off.

"Lucky I look so what?" Leo inquired.

"Never mind." Raph sighed. "Well, I guess we better keep going."

Leo nodded and began to do just that. He wasn't even ten feet ahead when he saw the flash. Turning around, he jumped at his brother.

"Did you just take a _picture_?"

Raph grinned, keeping his camera out of Leo's reach, and took another picture. "Like I said, you owe me one. Besides, I warned you I would."

"Give me that, you traitor!" Leo glared daggers at Raph, who merely grinned.

"Nope. But if you're cooperative, I might not show them to the others."

"Like I'm supposed to believe that."

With a last glare, Leo let it go. He had no time to lose bickering with his brother - he had a strong teenage body to take back. Then he would be able to show Raph just what he thought of his last move.

* * *

The sunlight had long disappeared behind them when Raph and Leo entered a new cave. There was no sound of water in this one, and their steps echoed through a vast space. Raph, who was carrying the flashlight, positioned it to have a better look at their surroundings - and froze in terror.

They were all around them. Hundreds, thousands of giant bugs. With their giant legs and their giant wings, ready to squash and eat him… With a terrified cry, Raph let go of the flashlight.

In the utter silence that followed, he realized that something was wrong. Why weren't the bugs moving? And didn't Donnie say that there were no living beings on this planet?

"These are statues, Raph." Leo's tone sounded very neutral as he picked the flashlight.

Raph dared to take a better look, and realized that Leo was right.

He also realized that he was curled up in a little ball behind his brother's back.

His eight-years-old brother's back.

Raph straightened up and cleared his throat. He could feel his cheeks burning. "Oh."

Leo intertwined his fingers, and looked up at him, his face deadly serious. "Don't worry, I won't breathe a word of this to anyone. As long, of course, as you let me delete the pictures you so treacherously took behind my back." He extended his hand. "Your camera, please. And if you don't mind, I'll keep it."

Without a word, Raph gave it to him.

"Thank you, Raph." Leo nodded his appreciation.

Raph hung his head in defeat. Why, why did it have to be bugs?

* * *

"There!" Leo exclaimed, pointing the flashlight at something.

Raph came closer to have a better look at it, and grinned. There was a statue in the distance, not unlike the one they had found at the entrance. It stood at the top of a small hill, in the center of the biggest cave they had seen yet. Fifteen minutes ago, they had found another light well, and they had been able to call their brothers again. Mikey had been on the phone this time, and although he had also asked for Leo, he had seemed happy enough with Raph's explanation of "He's scouting right now." The ship wasn't repaired yet, and they still had a couple of hours to themselves.

"We did it, Raph." Leo grinned at his brother, and Raph hoped that the statue would soon give him back his proper age. He was way too cute to be allowed to stay like that for too long.

However, the two brothers quickly discovered that the distance between them and the hill was longer than they had previously thought. And as they walked and walked, it became obvious that the last events had stretched Leo's childish strength very thin.

As he yawned for the third time in ten seconds, Raph couldn't help himself. "Are you sure you don't want to take some rest?"

Leo shook his head, stubborn. "No. We're almost there."

"Or…" Raph hesitated. _Or I could carry you,_ he didn't dare to say.

Leo must have understood it, though, because he glared daggers at him.

"I'm fine," he pretended. "I can keep going."

"Alright, alright." Raph shrugged. If Leo didn't want to admit that he was exhausted, so be it.

He watched his brother as Leo fought against sleep, and wondered if he should point out that he was slower and slower. But Leo gritted his teeth and kept going.

Raph didn't say anything when his brother stumbled for the first time, fifteen minutes later. He didn't say anything when he stumbled for the second time. And he most certainly didn't say anything when Leo almost fell on his face and he picked him up.

"This is plain embarrassing," Leo muttered. "I'm going to pretend it isn't happening."

"It's not, Leo, you're just dreaming," Raph whispered as he began to walk faster.

Five seconds later, Leo was sound asleep and Raph gave up every tough pretense as he settled him more comfortably in his arms. Leo, still asleep, moaned and hid his face in the crook of his brother's neck. Raph held him tight as he began the ascent of the hill, a huge and impossibly fond smile never leaving his lips.

* * *

"Leo? Leo, wake up."

Leo yawned and stretched out. He was lying on a stone, on the top of the hill, and…

And he was right next to the statue that held the solution to all his problems, he was sure of it. Without thinking twice, he jumped on his feet and ran to it, welcoming the blinding light when it embraced him.

Ten seconds later, he let out a shout of triumph. He was himself again! A tall, proud and strong teenage mutant ninja turtle, oh yeah.

With a huge smile, he turned to his brother. "Thanks for your help, Raph."

Raph smiled, and maybe it was Leo, but his smile looked a little melancholic.

"You're welcome."

Leo fastened his bandana around his head as he took a closer look at the statue. "There is something else written on it," he whispered. "Hmm."

Taking a picture, he began looking for a proper translation - and no, he certainly hoped it wasn't ' _Expect to like the remaining.'_

He shook his head as he found it. " _We hope you enjoyed your stay._ Seriously?"

Raph collapsed on the ground. "Well, I will be happy to leave that place. It took us almost an hour and a half to get here, we should better hurry if we want to meet the others on time."

Leo nodded. "Going down is always faster than climbing. I think we can do it." He didn't mention that they wouldn't be slowed down by him like they had on the first part of their trip, and carefully avoided thinking about the fact Raph had nothing short of carried him on the last part.

While he was asleep.

How embarrassing.

"What are we going to tell the others?" Raph asked as they began their way back to the last light well, where their brothers, April, Casey and the Fugitoid would look for them.

"Nothing," Leo retorted. "Unless you want to be stuck there for as long as Donnie needs to understand how everything works, and who these aliens were, and where the river goes, and…"

"Okay, okay." Raph shook his head. "Nothing it is, then."

The two of them exchanged a knowing look. Some things were better left in shade.

* * *

Donnie was sitting in front of the control panel of the ship. Since they had collected Leo and Raph, both of them had been strangely elusive as to what exactly had happened underground.

All he knew was that Leo had lost most of his equipment in some sort of collapsing. They had apparently found some of the ruins of the old alien theme park - nothing interesting, only old stones. Leo had admitted that they had been a little imprudent, but stated that he was fine - and as there was no evidence to the contrary, Donnie had to accept this answer. Leo and Raph were both resting now, and Donnie wondered whether he would ever have the big story.

He shrugged. At least the ship was as good as new. It had taken more time than they would have thought, but they had managed to repair it.

He made a few last checks, and noticed that the saving system of the ship had registered a couple of new pictures. Those were saved automatically in the central memory when one of them used their portable cameras, in case something happened to their equipment. It was an improvement that Donnie had made himself the day before.

Out of curiosity, he clicked on the first. Then on the second. Then on the first again.

Then he stood up and stomped out of the room, determined to get to the bottom of this. If his mind wasn't playing tricks on him, somebody had some serious explaining to do.

" _Leo!"_

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I almost left Leo in peace, but in the end, I decided that no. No such luck. :D_   
>  _Thanks to everybody who commented, favorited and/or kudoed! I hope you enjoyed that last part. I certainly did!_


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